InstCon UnCon 2015 - Setup and Discussions?

[cms_hickss]

For those of us who missed InstCon UnCon 2015 could you tell us:

1. How it was setup
2. What type of things were discussed

[kona]

Here are some pictures to help set the scene! [Note, I pulled the pictures from Twitter so they are from a number of Uncon attendees, not just me.]

First we snacked on breakfast goodies and did some brainstorming on what we wanted to talk about/do for the Uncon. We wrote our ideas on post-it notes and put them on the white poster paper attached to the walls.

Everyone got a chance to do a 30 second (or so) elevator pitch for their idea. Then we then ran around and voted (with Panda stickers of course) on what we wanted to spend our time doing!

After voting, the votes were tallied and "The Schedule" was created! There were four time slots and three sessions per time slot.

The sessions were pretty open and the person who suggested the idea/topic facilitated, but everyone got a chance to talk, discuss, and collaborate.

Google Doc of two of the sessions:

• Active Listening and Rapid Integration - Google Docs
• Discuss meaning of “Universal Design” vs “Accessible” vs “Inclusive” - Google Docs 

We were on our own for lunch, but that's ok because that's where the idea of Josh Coates Keynote Bingo came from. All great ideas start on a napkin, right?

After lunch we held the last two sessions that ended up primarily being "Awesome or Awful or Things that Suck" (a crowd favorite) and a group discussion on humanizing the online classroom.

[seanmichaelmorr]

Hi Susan,

 @kona ​' description of the day is perfect (love all the images!). I'll only add that the unconference "registration" and initial conversations were held in a Canvas course (Instcon Uncon). Here's the description on the "How It Works" page:

• In the weeks prior to the conference, participants who sign up for InstCon UnCon will be asked to propose possible sessions around the topic of Student-Centered Learning in Educational Technology. Proposals will be posted in the discussion board of this course.
• On the morning of the conference, the session proposals will be on display (think: large sheets of white paper taped to a wall), and participants will vote on which sessions they would like to attend.
• Based on participants' votes, the day will be organized into four sessions -- two before lunch and two after. (See the Syllabus for the schedule.)
• Sessions are run by the participants who proposed them, though any who attend are encouraged to participate actively, even to join the presenter themselves. Participants are also encouraged to start new sessions extemporaneously -- even during another session -- if their interests seem to warrant it.
• The day concludes with a general session -- a “show and tell” -- where participants can talk, lightning-round style, about their discoveries during the day.

Throughout the day, participants were encouraged to keep notes in public Google Docs. This not only allowed people in other sessions to "eavesdrop" on sessions they didn't attend, but also provided information for people not at the unconference. Additionally, we posted on the combined hashtag #instcon #uncon on Twitter in order to share thoughts, inspirations, pictures, and to build community.

Sean